Raytheon Canada won a contract valued at approximately $12 million (EUR 10 million) from the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Coast Guard of the Netherlands Antilles & Aruba (CGNA&A) to build an integrated coastal surveillance radar network on the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, including long-term maintenance and training.

With respect to the system’s purpose, and setup…

Ahh, Bonaire…

The system will enable the precision monitoring of marine traffic in the waters around the Dutch Caribbean. It will be used primarily for search and rescue and drug interdiction, but it will also help combat illegal immigration.

The baseline system consists of eight radar sites equipped with a single command and control center based at the CGNA&A’s rescue and coordination center in Curacao. Each site is composed of a Raytheon Canada Marine Small Target Tracker, Terma SCANTER 2001 Radar from Terma of Denmark, plus wireless communications and physical infrastructure. The command and control center will be provided by HITT Traffic of The Netherlands.

SCANTER 2100

Though radars were not mentioned as a key component in Canada’s aerospace strategy, Raytheon Canada has been an important Canadian player since the 1950s. The firm employs 1,400 people at multiple sites in Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Ontario. Radar and traffic management systems make up a large portion of its offerings.